New York City Couple Kaustubh Nirmal and Sanjeeri Deopujari Killed in Diving Boat Fire
SANTA BARBARA, CA (September 9, 2019) – After the diving boat fire early Monday near Santa Cruz Island, police later identified two deceased victims as Kaustubh Nirmal and Sanjeeri Deopujari.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Nirmal and Deopujari were married for two and a half years. According to the Times of India, Nirmal grew up in Jaipur, and Deopujari was initially from Nagpur in central India.
In addition, the couple lived in greater New York City, where Nimral worked in finance and Deopujari was a dentist.
To begin, flames engulfed the 75-foot diving vessel around 3:00 AM, on Labor Day. Emergency responders arrived shortly after just off the coast of Southern California.
Moreover, 39 people, including six crew members were on board at the time. Five crew members were able to escape. However, 33 passengers and one crew member were trapped in the lower deck as a result of the flames.
The boat eventually sank about four hours later. However, search teams later recovered a total of 33 bodies as of Wednesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office issued a report revealing that the victims died due to smoke inhalation rather than burns.
The other victims were also later identified as: Neal Baltz, Patricia Beitzinger, Kristy Finstad, Evanmichel Quitasol, Nicole Quitasol, Angela Quitasol, Fernisa Sison, Michael Storm Quitasol, Allie Kurtz, Raymond Scott Chan, Kendra Chen, Steve Salika, Tia Salika, Diana Salika, Berenice Felipe Alvarez, Mike Kohls, Charles McIlvain, Marybeth Guiney, Lisa Fiedler, Daniel Garcia, Yulia Krashennaya, Kristian Takvam, Adrian Dahood-Fritz, Andrew Fritz, Vaidehi Campbell, Kristian Takvam, Justin Dignam, Ted Strom, Wei Tan and Sunil Singh Sandhu.
On Sunday, authorities served search warrants at Truth Aquatics’ offices, the Southern California company that owned the diving vessel. However, no further details have been released at this time.
The cause of the fire is still currently under investigation by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. However, more information will soon be released.
Sweet Lawyers sends our sincerest condolences to the loved ones of Kaustubh Nirmal and Sanjeeri Deopujari during this tragic time.
If you lost a loved one in this tragic incident, you can reach out to Sweet Lawyers. We have over 40 years of experience in the legal field. As a result, we know what it takes to win your wrongful death case. We will fight to help you achieve the justice and compensation that your family deserves. Call us today for a free consultation at (800) 674 7852 and speak to an experienced legal professional in your area. In addition, you can contact us 24 hours a day and seven days a week.